Crossing the Wire is a fictional story that deals with many realistic aspects of illegal immigration. Many of the themes found in the book are similar to what has been discussed in class during the Western Hemisphere unit. These themes include but are not limited to:
Conditions in Mexico that encourage illegal immigration (push factors)
The potential for a better life in America (pull factors)
The methods of physically crossing the border
The possibility of being discovered and sent back to Mexico
The dangers of vigilantes, like the Minutemen, versus the Border Patrol
Creating a new life in America as an illegal alien
Finding work and providing for family back home American immigration laws
Free trade
As a final assessment for this topic, you will be researching current news stories on illegal immigration. The purpose of this activity is to relate what happened in the story to what is happening in reality. You will need to find 3 articles from credible news sources that deal with any of the aspects of illegal immigration. The following is a list of national media outlets, which may be helpful to you:
*You may also use the digital databases through the school website. Login information can be found in your planner, so you can access the databases from home. Be sure you are using news articles and not encyclopedia entries.
For each article, you will need:
One paragraph summarizing the article. You must explain the basic details of the article (who, what, where, when, why). This must be in your own words.
One paragraph comparing what was described in the article to what happened in Crossing the Wire. How does what happened to the individuals in the article relate to what happened to the characters in the story? What are the similarities and differences?
The general formatting should look like this:
Title of Article: Citation: (use the page in your planner for help)
Paragraph 1: 6-8 sentences
Paragraph 2: 6-8 sentences
Crossing the Wire: Illegal Immigration
Crossing the Wire is a fictional story that deals with many realistic aspects of illegal immigration. Many of the themes found in the book are similar to what has been discussed in class during the Western Hemisphere unit. These themes include but are not limited to:
As a final assessment for this topic, you will be researching current news stories on illegal immigration. The purpose of this activity is to relate what happened in the story to what is happening in reality. You will need to find 3 articles from credible news sources that deal with any of the aspects of illegal immigration. The following is a list of national media outlets, which may be helpful to you:
CNN
New York Times
Los Angeles Times
Washington Post
USA Today
Arizona Republic
*You may also use the digital databases through the school website. Login information can be found in your planner, so you can access the databases from home. Be sure you are using news articles and not encyclopedia entries.
For each article, you will need:
The general formatting should look like this:
Title of Article: Citation: (use the page in your planner for help)
Paragraph 1: 6-8 sentences
Paragraph 2: 6-8 sentences